Honouring Outstanding Cadet Leaders
CCF
Earlier this term, Lieutenant Andrew Clark and Flight Lieutenant Patrick Dare were recognised with His Majesty’ s Lord-Lieutenant Award for their outstanding service to the Pocklington School Combined Cadet Force( CCF). The awards, presented by Mr James Dick OBE, Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire, acknowledged over 35 years of combined service in developing cadets and supporting the school’ s co-curricular programme.
Lt Clark has volunteered for 12 years, delivering specialist First Aid and Engineering training, overseeing Health and Safety, and leading projects such as the new training shelter. Always the first to arrive and last to leave, his dedication and good humour have earned him the respect of cadets and colleagues alike. Although he retired from Pocklington School this year, he will remain a Cadet Officer.
Flt Lt Dare has devoted nearly 25 years to the RAF Section, inspiring cadets through Summer Camps, Adventurous Training, flying and gliding experiences, and weekly leadership sessions. His passion has ensured cadets gain valuable skills and a sense of purpose, regardless of their future career paths.
Major Samantha Hughes, Contingent Commander, praised both officers for their dedication.“ The CCF provides endless opportunities for young people and develops skills for the wider world,” she said.
We are immensely grateful to Lt Clark and Flt Lt Dare for their leadership and lifelong commitment to Pocklington cadets.
At the start of the Michaelmas term we were delighted to welcome our new recruits who, over the last 13 weeks, have taken part in activities such as air rifle firing, field craft, RAF specific training, drill and navigation. We have been impressed with the progress they have made and enthusiasm shown. Our Fifth Year and Sixth Form Cadets have continued to develop their method of instruction and represented the school with great pride and respect as part of the Pocklington Town Remembrance Parade, the Barmby Moor 102 Squadron service and our school Armistice Service. The Armistice Service was held at the pavilion and marked 70 years since it was built as our school memorial to those Old Pocklingtonians lost in the World Wars and in conflicts since. Thanks to the archive work carried out by former staff members Paul Bennett, David Dyson and Steve Elliot and Old Pocklingtonian Richard George- seventeen
names have been added to our Rolls of Honour. Their research uncovered former pupils and staff whose sacrifices had previously gone unrecorded, including casualties from both World Wars and the Spanish Civil War. These findings were formally recognised during the Armistice Service, where the updated names were read aloud for the first time-ensuring our remembrance is as complete and accurate as possible.
Over the last few weeks, the Army Section has been visited by members of the Army Reserves. Our Army Cadets were able to get hands on with a GPMG, sharp shooter and night vision goggles. The RAF section visited RAF Leeming and, although their flying was postponed due to the weather, they toured the base, spoke with pilots and had a very valuable day of training.
Samantha Hughes, Contingent Commander
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